Atharva Veda 20.39.2: Kanda 20, Anuvaka 4, Sukta 39, Mantra 2
Sukta 39
व्य॑१न्तरि॑क्षमतिर॒न्मदे॒ सोम॑स्य रोच॒ना। इन्द्रो॒ यदभि॑नद् व॒लम्
ví antárikṣam atiran máde sómasya rocanā́ | índro yád abhinad válam
Forth through the mid-air they passed, in Soma’s rapture, to the shining realms—when Indra clave the Vala fastness.
Avanzaron a través del espacio medio, en el arrobamiento del Soma, hacia las moradas resplandecientes—cuando Indra hendió la fortaleza de Vala.
Rishi: Ṛgvedic provenance; not determinable from excerpt alone.
Devata: Indra (with Soma as empowering adjunct)
Chandas: Ṛgvedic praise-meter; exact meter requires full stanza context.
Primary: adbhuta
Secondary: vira
Sāyaṇa links ‘made somasya’ to Indra’s soma-drinking that empowers the Vala-splitting. ‘Rocanā’ are luminous regions attained after the obstruction is broken. ‘Vala’ is the enclosing power; the myth is a template for overcoming confinement (of cattle, light, or fortune).
To effect a ‘breakthrough’—crossing barriers and opening confined goods/fortune—by aligning the rite with Indra’s Vala-splitting paradigm.
Constriction/stagnation patterns (symbolic): anxiety ‘tightness’, lethargy, blocked breath/energy; secondarily ‘blocked prosperity’.
Energize (Soma) + visualize crossing the liminal space + invoke Indra’s cleaving of enclosure; supports a felt unbinding and forward movement.
Relieving āvaraṇa (occlusion) and kapha-tamas stagnation; Soma as ojas-support (in symbolic register).
Stress-related ‘stuck’ states; motivational paralysis; transition anxiety.
mixed
Obstacles (Vala-like enclosure) rather than a person; can be applied against rival ‘hoarding’ conditions.
Create breakthrough in blocked situations; open sealed resources; ensure successful passage/transition.
Mythic transit + strike: narrate passage, then perform the cleaving by speech-act (abhinat).
Delays, blockages, binding spells (conceptually), travel/transition risks.
Release of confined wealth/opportunity; success after stalemate.
They passed through mid-air in Soma’s exhilaration to shining realms—when Indra split the Vala enclosure.
Joy/energy (Soma) propels one beyond the ‘in-between’ zone (antarikṣa: doubt, liminality) into clarity (rocanā), once the inner ‘Vala’ (sealed fear/constraint) is broken.
Breakthrough requires both force and uplift: courage plus a sustaining joy. When enclosure is broken, movement becomes possible and the luminous goal is reached.
- अन्तरिक्ष (antarikṣa)
- liminal transition; uncertainty; the zone between intention and result
- मदे सोमस्य (made somasya)
- energized confidence; devotional uplift; activated vitality
- रोचना (rocanā)
- clear outcomes; insight; luminous success
- वल (vala)
- sealed blockage; hoarding; psychological fortress of fear
- अभिनत् (abhinat)
- decisive cut-through; opening the closed
Transition practice: move from ‘in-between’ to ‘shining’ by breaking the inner fortress.
Maṇipūra (decisive force)
3 rounds of kapalabhāti (gentle) or strong exhale-only breaths, then quiet breathing with mental repetition of abhinad valam.
A bright path across sky-space; a dark enclosure ahead; a single strike opens it and light pours out.
Mobilized courage with uplifted affect.
Keep the mind on motion (atiran) and completion (rocanā); end by taking one concrete action to ‘cross’.
RV-style; slight lift on atiran and a decisive drop/strike on abhinat.
Pause after rocanā; deliver indro yad abhinad valam as the operative clause.
Clear retroflex ṇ in rocanā (if regional), and dental vs retroflex distinctions., Keep somásya with clean sibilant., Do not elide final -m in antarikṣam.
Buoyant in the first half; forceful and clipped on abhinat.
Pair with a physical ‘cut’ gesture (hand slicing) at abhinat to embody the cleaving.
11
Stalled projects, bureaucratic delays, creative blocks, fear before transitions.
Before starting; at the moment you feel ‘stuck’; before travel or a major decision.
Increased momentum, reduced fear, clearer path to action; symbolic opening of opportunities.
Avoid over-arousal if prone to anxiety; keep breath practices gentle.
पदच्छेदः: वि + अन्तरिक्षम् + अतिरन् + मदे + सोमस्य + रोचना। इन्द्रः + यत् + अभि + अभिनत् + वलम्। 1) व्यन्तरिक्षम् = वि + अन्तरिक्षम् (इ/अ संधि: इ + अ → य). 2) यदभिनद् = यत् + अभिनत् (त् + अ → द + अ; पदान्त-त् का घोषीकरण; लिखित रूप ‘अभिनद्’ वैदिक/पदपाठ-परम्परा में ‘अभिनत्’ धातुरूप से सम्बद्ध).
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
